Getaway to BR Hills

The last couple of weeks have been very tiring for both S and me, primarily due to work pressures. We just wanted to get away from it all; so the long Ugadi weekend and our plan to drive to BR Hills could not have come at a more opportune time. I was so tired that I actually snapped at S when he asked me to pull out the car-seats from the loft...that’s when I knew I definitely needed a vacation pronto!!

BR Hills is just the right distance from Bangalore. Long enough to know you are far enough from the city and short enough that it doesn’t seem like a chore to drive there and back. There aren’t too many stay options there and we picked a property that’s run by an NGO that is very active in the area. Check them out here. We loved the property, our cottage, the guided forest walk early in the morning, the visit to the NGO (they run a residential school, health center and vocational skills training centers), and the drive deep into the forest for some wildlife-spotting. 

We didn’t see many animals but the forest was pretty in the evening sunshine, the play of light and shade was enticing and when I put my head out of the window to let the soft breeze play on my face and hair, Ads instantly pointed out “Of course Amma does not like to follow any rules. You should keep your face and hands inside the car. I think a monkey is going to jump on your face!”

All very valid points, I agree....but what a mood-killer the boy is!  

Some pics...

Driving to BR Hills

Dry deciduous

Our cottage

Into the forest for our morning nature trek

Driving into the forest - hoping to spot some animals

Before sunset

Only about Y#1

The school bus driver has been complaining about Y. Apparently she does not sit quietly in her seat when the bus is in motion, especially on the way back from school,  but keeps running up and down for some reason or the other. Whenever the bus stops to drop off a child at his/her stop, Y gets up and "escorts" the kid upto the bus door. I've heard this from the driver multiple times, multiple versions. When we task Y, she gets all teary and claims she has been getting up for a legitimate purpose - I wanted water. My friend asked me to get the toffee from my bag. I needed some hand sanitizer, and so on. When my disbelief is apparent, her parting shot is always - Amma, you always say bad things about me! Which, by the way, is completely untrue because I am her biggest fan :) Anyway she is quite the chhupa-rustam so I tend to believe the bus driver and not her!

She has been learning Bharatanatyam for the last few weeks (a little young, I am told) but the teacher's really nice and Y seemed to enjoy the first few trial classes so we went ahead. Never having learnt the dance form myself, I was quite taken aback to see how hard it was and how much of a strain it puts on the knees and back. Well, my knees and back for sure when I tried some of the steps...I assume kids are more flexible!

(Can you tell this is an easy week at work? I got my blogging mojo back :) Better I think to do short quick posts whenever I have a free minute than aim for longer well-thought out and well-written posts....not that my long ones were particularly scintillating to read...just saying :))

Summer is here

Posted this on fb today :)
You know the holidays are round the corner when crafty items begin appearing at home, when your mom calls with an urgent request for empty cereal boxes, tins and bottles, and when various Gods begin sportiing beady accoutrements.

Kiddisms #2

It's been a while since I blogged, and I don't know quite where to begin. It's fair to say we have all been so busy with our routines and with living life, so to speak, that writing about it and recording memories have had to fall by the wayside. Being up at 5 am to get ready for a hectic day and falling into bed exhausted at 10 pm does not an active blogger make!

But it's all good -- we are fast approaching the end of yet another school year. How times flies! Ads will go to 4th grade this year and will turn 9 in just a few months. Y will still be in kindergarten :) But she is going to have an extended day come June, so changes in store for her. My parents have settled in well and we have established a daily routine that pivots around the children's needs. I am loving my job and while the commute is still killing, I have been working a couple of days a week from home which makes it easier.

But enough of that. The kids have been cracking me up with their usual antics. Jotting down a few here lest I forget!

Advaith has now taken to wearing shirts instead of t-shirts, all buttoned up till the neck (a la Dev Anand). When we step out, he likes to wear jeans/trousers (no shorts), belt, socks and shoes (floaters? what are those?). I am his biggest irritant because I'm constantly trying to make him dress down. The other day, I pleaded with him to unbutton the collar button. His response? A roll of the eyes and "Amma, I am NOT a Hindi film hero!" He dislikes seeing people with their shirts unbuttoned all the way down displaying their macho chests :)

His major mania is "neating". Apparently our apartment looks like a pigsty. I am so offended especially as I've spent most of my life being accused of being too neat and tidy. He spends every spare minute obsessively tidying up the flat, plumping cushions and keeping slippers lined up in ramrod-straight lines :) The Virgo streak is more than apparent, along with the OCD-like behaviour that marks many of us. One of my friends told me the other day that Virgo women are quite nice but Virgo men can be insufferable and I am beginning to appreciate those wise words :(

He still hates the camera and is a little relieved that "Amma does not click many photos nowadays." Glad somebody noticed! I asked him "Am I the best mom?". Ok I know, kinda silly question but I had just come away from an awwww moment of Y telling me "Amma you are not a good mom........you are the BEST mom!"

Ads sighed. "Amma, if I was Yashas, then Chitra aunty (Yashas' mom) would be the best mom. And if I  was X then X's mom would be the best mom."

I persisted. So what are you saying, do you think I'm the best mom or not?

Silence and a LOOK which seemed to say - Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies!

That's my boy - my harshest critic and the Raja Harishchandra of this family - he gives it like it is! Between him and S, I can rest assured I will never suffer from an inflated ego!

Y on the other hand, is the one that signs off each night with a solicitous - "Amma, are you going to do some work? Don't strain yourself, ok? Go to bed soon!"

Ad-lib#11

Have I said it before? The 5 yo is the most mature person in our household. Trust Y to always put things in the right perspective. The other day, I had lost one ATM card but inadvertently managed to call the bank and block not the one which I had lost, but the one which was still lying in my wallet. Having discovered my error, I was fuming at my stupidity. As steam issued merrily from my ears, Y piped up - Amma, why are you so upset? Is our life in danger?!!!

Ads on the other hand, is well-known for taking things much too seriously. The other day I got back from work and went to pick up the kids from my parent's place. Ads was excited - Amma look I've cleaned up naani's house so well! Naani and thatha were grimly holding onto their seats. I wondered why they weren't moving. Then I saw the lil fella in tears. While sitting down, I had spoilt the alignment of the sofa cushion which was no longer a perfect 90 degrees. All his "neating" was in vain!

No longer can advertisements be taken at face value. S says Ads should be part of the Advertising Standards Bureau. Every TVC, hoarding, print ad is dissected. How can they say this is the best? The most comfortable? The greatest? The best value? How do they know what I like and what I think is the best? Aren't they lying? Welcome to the big bad world of advertising, my little cynic! 

And then this, in Bali. Why are we born if we all have to die one day? 

Okay (deep breath), atleast he's asking all the right questions.

The cycling bug

I didn't know how often I would bike/cycle, but I am happy to report that the bug has bitten me well and truly! The contraption is being duly zipped around the community every second morning, and it is sooooo much fun! Plus, at this stage when I am so time-strapped, efficiency gets top marks from me and I am all for finishing my day's workout in 20 minutes instead of 50. Screaming-in-protest-thighs also get top marks! Biking with S would be even better but currently looks like a distant dream. For now, I will settle for the cool breeze blowing through my hair, great music coursing through the eardrums, and occasional showing-off (Look ma, no hands!) in front of my son who thought Amma didn't know cycling :)

Food and the third kid

S and I have a standing joke, that the amount of food wasted on a daily basis by Ads and Y would comfortably feed our hypothetical third child.

Last week, after the kids had finished with dinner, S looked at the soiled dishes stacked near the sink and said: Our third child is getting pretty fat.

Sigh. While our first two children only grow lengthwise! :)

On buying a bicycle

We spent a significant part of a precious Saturday away from the children, testing and buying a unisex bicycle at Decathlon. What should have been a quick decision based on one visit to the store and some back-end research, managed to spin itself into many evenings and weekends until I am sure the folks in the bike section were heartily sick and tired of S trying out every bike on display and meandering slowly through all the aisles until he knew whether he liked it or not. That I was a disinterested observer pretending to be enthusiastic must have been evident to all :) My interest levels which had been high to begin with dwindled with every dinner-table discussion, argument and store visit until I said, let's just get this over and done with. 

As it happened, we had almost decided on what to buy when I spotted another make which, at Rs 2000 extra, offered more benefits - cushioned seat, thicker tyres, better looks (though S disagreed) and was far more comfortable for me to ride. So finally I ended up deciding what we would get. We picked up the accessories, paid over the hefty sum charged, got the bike tuned and then huffed and puffed for 20 minutes to push it into the car! We drove back with me grasping the front tires of the bike so that it wouldn't interfere with the gear operation.

Got back home and had just settled down with some chai when S informed me that the gears aren't working! Of course, this was arbitrarily blamed on me - apparently I had been too impatient to leave and he had not tested the gears properly in the store! It's pretty amazing how the blame for random things gets pinned onto me!
Dropped the kids off at mom's again, struggled for another 15 minutes squeezing the bike into the car and drove to the store with handlebars digging into my thigh - thankfully I had enough and more cushioning :) Once the gears were fixed, I drove the car back while S opted to ride back. I left him behind with some trepidation. Will he be able to manage himself on a bicycle after so many years, on potholed roads shared with with crazy drivers and stray dogs? I heaved a big sigh of relief when he got home. Worrying over kids is par for the course but having to worry about the husband is just plain annoying!
This is not the way I like to spend the treasured weekend. But the evident pleasure of the husband as he rode the bike next morning, not to mention the benefits to his knee, made up for it. Apparently father and kids are going to bike together every weekend from now on :) 

Singapore, Ads and me

Ads has heard a lot about Singapore from his friends and relatives. So he was excited to holiday there. He claims our recent holiday was the best one he’s ever had...ask him which place he liked more, Bali or Singapore, and there is no doubt in his mind. Singapore wins hands down. He said Bali is a place he’d like to visit but Singapore is where he would like to live! There goes my city kid :( 

His standard answer when people ask him what he did in Bali – temple temple beach restaurant, temple temple beach restaurant. Put that way, it doesn’t sound very appealing, does it? :))

Now, as for me...I admire Singapore. I don’t really like it. Don’t ask me why! But I will attempt a garbled answer. Reason #1 is probably that I can be a contrarian at times...if enough people tell me something is fabulous, you can be sure I will hate it! And enough and more people have told me that Singapore is fabulous over the last 15 years for me to be highly sceptical. Is that a good enough reason? :)

Seriously though, I accept that it’s a pretty good place – its clean, safe, disciplined etc etc. The humid weather freaks me out but I really do understand why people would like it. But as S aptly put it, it’s a place that is frustratingly predictable! And I think what that means is that we like a little (or a lot!) of chaos and randomness in our lives which is something that’s missing in Singapore. And that’s why I find it boring, and that’s my reason #2.

Am I coming off as someone difficult to please? Or one of those people who go to Agra and deliberately do not visit the Taj Mahal, because hey, that’s what all the tourists do? :)

The one reason I’d live in Singapore? It’s a truly fantastic base for exploring Southeast and East Asia. Give us 3 years and I promise there won’t be a country we don’t visit :)

Year-end Bali holiday - Instalment 4

Day 6 in Bali was our last day of exploring the island as we had planned to spend the last day doing absolutely nothing. Now this is something of a tall order for me as I'm not good at relaxing, whether it's at home on a weekend or on a hard-earned foreign vacation. But more on that later.

We were going to see more of East Bali, which is slightly less popular than the southern part of the island but coming into it's own now as a surfing destination. It is gorgeous, the beaches are pristine and not as over-run with tourists and if I went back to Bali again, I'd skip South Bali and just stay here. S and I also thought that the landscape in the eastern part was very reminiscent of Hawaii, so to those who've been there, that should give an idea of how lovely it was :)

A scenic drive through these vistas.............

That's Mount Agung at the back. It's an active volcano that dominates the landscape in this part of Bali. It last erupted 50 years ago.

..............brought us to the Tirtagangga Water Palace. It was a hot dry and sunny day so the sun blinded us, we were dehydrated and atleast I couldn't wait to get into some shade. But it was also the kind of day that brought out the loveliness of sparkling waters under a blue sky dotted with white fluffs of cloud. 

Entering Tirtagangga

Lots of fun for kids and dad alike :) Stepping stones to success :)

A boar fountain

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I hadn't ever seen such large lotus leaves

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See what I mean? :)

After roaming around the palace, we were exhausted (the heat helped) and ready for some chow. It was a little surreal to sit there and be served some excellent Italian food, but then Bali has a lot of un-Indonesian food options (Italian predominates). Lunch over, we headed to another water palace - Taman Ujung. Not as pretty as Tirtagangga IMHO. The blazing sun was getting to me at this point so I elected to plop down on the shady patch with the kids while S wandered around.

That's me with my inseparable backpack and the kids :)

Next stop. Some R&R at the Pasir Putih white sand beach near Candidasa. A bumpy ride on a steep non-road brought us to the parking lot where the kids and S promptly stripped down to their swimwear and jumped into the water. It turned out to be a lot of fun but the Indian Ocean was a little scary with huge waves so after a few minutes, Y was sent back to me while S and Ads continued frolicking.

Candidasa's black sand beach was next - a little rocky so we didn't venture into the water but opted to enjoy it while digging into some gelato.

Our driver-cum-guide's enthusiasm was unstoppable but Ads and I were pooped by this point. S and Y visited the Pura Goa Lawah - Bat Cave temple - but I sat slumped in the car seat while Ads snoozed obliviously beside me :) Thus ended our last busy day in Bali.

The next day was our last in the country and we did nothing other than swim in and snooze by the pool. Of course, I also indulged in my habitual end-of-vacation moping and depression :) Bali is a place everyone  must visit atleast once. What we realized after going there was that there were so many other unique places in Indonesia - in Java and Lombok especially. Some day, I'd love to go to these places and get to know this beautiful archipelago a little better.

Year-end Bali holiday - Instalment 3

Day 5. S has stubbed his two a couple of days ago, while swimming in the pool. It starts hurting like crazy and we decide we should get it looked at. I’m afraid it’s broken, because he’s done it before, on our Thailand trip. Our car and driver arrive to ferry us on a day of roaming around the highlands of Bali, but in typical Indian/Asian style, the doctor doesn’t show up on time. We are told – He’s very close by, another 5 minutes....he’s just around the corner etc....Anyway, he finally arrives, a smart dapper little man who impresses us big-time with his competence until he names his price. A whopping 120 USD for fixing a stubbed toe!

Having paid up the high price for my husband’s general clumsiness and bumbling incompetence in the pool (!!), we heave ourselves into the car and head towards Mount Batur. Today we have Pablo, by far the most funny and entertaining guide we have ever encountered. He speaks fluent English and is very good about telling us where we are going, the villages we are passing through, interesting features of the landscape etc besides giving us a good grounding in Balinese architecture, religion and social life. He turns out to be a major (if dated) Bollywood fan. He tells me that his brother lives in Mumbai. I am puzzled and ask him what does he do? He says he's an actor. I smile and ask "Oh really? What's his name?". He says in all seriousness "Shah Rukh Khan" and immediately starts laughing uproariously. He thinks Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is one of the best films of all time and is thrilled when S can play some of the movie songs on his iphone. I think we made his day :)

Mt Batur and Lake Batur are beautiful and we click lots and lots of pictures. The highlight is having our very first cup of Kopi Luwak coffee, something S protested that he would never touch but he ends up being the person who loved it. I like it too, it's less full-bodied than I'd like but flavourful nevertheless. 

Lake Batur in the foreground, Mt Agung in the background

Another one of Lake Batur

Mt Batur, apparently an easy climb for sunrise-catchers

The civet

Snake-skin fruit, looks a little iffy but quite tasty - a mix of pineapple and apple flavours

Coffee, cocoa and tea samples

Bali is very picturesque. Our lunch with a view looked over this....

and this....

Enroute to our next port of call, Ubud, we visited the Holy Spring temple, which was so much like Indian temples.

Bathing in the tank/holy spring

Prayers

Offerings

Can you name the Gods?

Inside the inner circle/sanctum sanctorum

Over to Ubud...this is what you get for USD 150 a night....a lovely comfortable duplex with massive bathrooms, one of them with open windows looking out over the Monkey Forest!

Bathroom #1

Porch downstairs - we used to have a lot of meals here

The porch upstairs

Bedroom

Large bath upstairs

The view while taking a shower :)

My best moment in Bali? When S walked into our home for the next 3 days in Ubud and said - This time, you've cracked it. Completely. Awesome job.

He's the kind of guy who is very stingy with praise, so when he says you've done an awesome job, rest assured you have :) 

Questions galore

Before I continue with the Bali blogathon, I am motivated by Chatty Wren's recent post on her girls, to jot down some similar things that Y said. I have to say, I don't know where these kids get all these thoughts and ideas from. Y is most concerned about how many kids she will have. Her future family recently downsized from 5 to a more manageable 4. She hopes and prays she will have two girls. A boy and a girl is a less palatable but still acceptable option. Two boys --- what, are you kidding me????!! That's the horror scenario :)

Second, she worries that it will pain a lot when she has kids.

Three, who will take me to the hospital? The ambulance or you????

Four, I can only have kids when I marry -- right?? (This piece of wisdom imparted by her brother, who once spoke to me about a hen and a rooster who got married and then they laid an egg!) Errr....right!

Five -- who will I marry? Someone with black hair (not grey/white like Appa!). Maybe I can marry Anna? Not possible?

I find it easier to answer Ads' questions. Like the one he asked me in Bali. "If we all have to die one day, what's the point of being born?"

That's my boy! Learn to ask the right questions, and the answers will follow :)

Year-end Bali holiday - Instalment 2

Our first temple stop was the Taman Ayun temple, or more correctly Puri Taman Ayun ("Puri" means temple), a 17-th century temple built by the Mengwi royal family in typical Balinese style. surrounded and bisected by man-made waterways. We wandered around with some printed material that we had downloaded earlier and managed to get a sense of the history of the temple. It was an overcast drizzly sort of day but we enjoyed sauntering all around the pretty temple. Couldn't quite figure out where the deity was which was being prayed to (this happened in most of our temple visits!) because Balinese Hinduism and it's rituals seem quite different from what's experienced in India, but what exactly the differences were, was difficult to pinpoint as in many temples we were not allowed to go into the sanctum sanctorum, being off-limits to foreigners.In the one temple where we managed to catch glimpses of the prayer, all we could figure out was that some Sanskrit shlokas were being chanted (lots of women priests in Bali) and there was a lot of bending, getting up and re-bending to the deity (Ganesha in this case). What we did understand that while the Balinese pray to the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, they also pray to many lesser gods for e.g there is Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice and many gods and goddesses associated with wind, sun, rain, sea, mountains etc. Every shop, business and home has a shrine outside to which offerings are made daily and even multiple times in a day. It seems that any offering goes - we found sweets, Mentos, beedis and even a cup of coffee (this outside the Starbucks outlet:))

Black coffee and flowers for God :)

Next stop was Puru Ulun Danu, one of the most lovely temples we visited. This is a major Shaivite and water temple in Bali, gorgeously situated on misty lake Bratan. Check it out.

We were fortunate to have no rain but just misty cool Scotland-ish type weather until then, but by the time we headed out from Ulun Danu, it was raining hard. The twin lakes, Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan, looked stunning but we stopped only to take a few pics before being driven into the car by a deluge from the heavens. We were cold and weary by this time (I was not more than a little pissed off with the rain, I must admit!) and ready to head home. End of an eventful and wet day 3 :)

Twin lakes, though we couldn't manage to get both in the same frame.

Rice fields

The lovely rice terraces at Jatiluwih, seen through a fine sheet of water :)